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Many working parents often have to multi-task.However, new evidence suggests that not only
is multi-tasking addictive, but it is counterproductive.

From The New York
Times:

Scientists say juggling e-mail,
phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and
behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of
information.

These play to a primitive impulse
to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes
excitement — a dopamine squirt — that researchers say can be addictive. In its
absence, people feel bored.

The resulting distractions can have
deadly consequences, as when cellphone-wielding drivers and train engineers
cause wrecks. And for millions of people like Mr. Campbell, these urges can
inflict nicks and cuts on creativity and deep thought, interrupting work and
family life.

While many people say multitasking
makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multitaskers
actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information,
scientists say, and they experience more stress.